Chelsea injury news as latest Christopher Nkunku update leaves Mauricio Pochettino searching for options ahead of Bournemouth
Mauricio Pochettino's biggest task at Chelsea so far this season has been trying to replace the void left by Christopher Nkunku. Having signed for £52million over the summer, a deal that was agreed as far back as last October, he is yet to make his debut.
The Frenchman arrived as the leader of a new dawn at Stamford Bridge with Pochettino coming in alongside him. After years of failed forwards, expensive transfers gone wrong and even more specifically RB Leipzig and Bundesliga marksmen falling well short in blue, Nkunku promised to change that.
Nkunku was the fulcrum of his team in pre-season, operating across the attack in a 4-2-3-1 shape. The 25-year-old scored on his non-competitive debut from a standard No.10 position but later moved around to the left side, creating room for Carney Chukwuemeka centrally.
The good news for Chelsea is that Nkunku is progressing well. Their latest update on the player came ahead of the trip to Bournemouth on Sunday, a game he will have to watch from home.
"Continuing to undergo his rehabilitation programme," was the explaination in the pre-match injury round-up. That follows on from a message he sent to fans last month after learning the long-term results. "As you can imagine, I'm so disappointed not to be able to be with my team-mates during the start of the season," he wrote on Instagram at the time.
"It's hard not to have been able to meet you guys at the Bridge. I will work hard to come back stronger. It’s only a matter of time."
Pochettino meanwhile also added: "We feel very sorry about him. He was very important for us. Now it's about not thinking too much about the injuries and being positive about when he can be back with us as soon as possible. We are working in the market also, trying to find a solution, maybe short- term, medium and long term to find the right profile for the team."
The solution hasn't come easily to the Argentine in the opening weeks of the season but Cole Palmer's arrival from Manchester City could change that. The young forward is able to play behind a striker as well as from the right-wing, and is a more natural replacement for Chukwuemeka and Nkunku than Gallagher or Fernandez.
Meanwhile, Nkunku's France teammate Wesley Fofana is also undergoing rehab following an even worse knee injury. He was ruled out for what could be the rest of the season with yet another long-term setback but has posted online with a clip of him on the exercise bikes at Cobham.